A voluntary and permanent council or union of neighboring Congregational churches, for mutual advice and cooperation in ecclesiastical matters; a meeting of pastors and delegates from churches thus united.

In Connecticut some of the Congregational churches are associated in consociations and the others in conferences.

Sentence Examples

Attempts, indeed, were made to bring him to trial, but they were unsuccessful, and in 1852 his church unanimously withdrew from the local "consociation," thus removing any possibility of further action against him.